Family Membracidae - Treehoppers

Classification · Other Common Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Which hopper, please? - Campylenchia latipes

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Auchenorrhyncha (Free-living Hemipterans)

Superfamily Cicadoidea

Family Membracidae (Treehoppers)

Other Common Names

Thorn Bugs

Numbers

60 genera and 257 species in North America according to Arnett (1)

Size

Rarely over 10-12 mm.

Identification

Large pronotum covers the head and extends back over the abdomen:

Many species appear humpbacked; others have spines, horns or keels. Some look like thorns.

Food

They feed chiefly on trees and shrubs and most species feed only on specific types of host plants.

Life Cycle

Eggs overwinter and hatch in the spring. Nymphs drop to the ground. They return to trees to lay eggs.

Remarks

Only a few species are considered pests; most of the damage is caused by egg laying.

Print References

Arnett, American Insects (1)

Borror and DeLong (2)

Internet References

University of Florida

Wikipedia--Treehopper

Insects of West Virginia, Treehoppers

Works Cited

1.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico By Ross H. Arnett

2.	Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects By Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Stephen Cresswell, Beatriz Moisset
Last updated 1 February, 2009 - 3:54am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2009 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version